Intimate and charming, this cozy New Zealand wedding was just as relaxed as it was stunning. Lucy + Josh rented a quaint home in Pigeon Bay for a few days to host their wedding and everything about it made the day feel like home. Most breathtaking, perhaps, was the landscape that surrounded them. The simple decor paired perfectly with spectacular views. Keep reading to get to know Lucy + Josh and see more of Tim Coulson’s incredible work.
Tell us about your proposal. We got engaged while visiting my brother and his family in Vermont. Josh was working on some big plans with my brother and the day of (the day before Josh had to go back to school), my Sister in law went into labour and had our nephew Lars! So the proposal took a back seat. We ended up going for a walk around the beautiful lake they live beside, eating some pizza and then eventually while we were lying on the grass beside a little gazebo Josh said, “So do you want too?” and handed me a ring. It was perfect for us. My favourite part is that everytime we visit my brother we can see the Gazebo from his house, and every time Lars’s birthday rolls around I remember that day (Lars turns 10 today!).
How did you know your partner was the one? Josh and I clicked really quickly and become very serious very fast. Because we are from different countries and were finishing up University when we started dating, it threw us into some really serious questions about our future together very quickly. I’m not sure when or how exactly it happened, but once we started dating I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know that we were going to be together.
What do you love most about your partner? One of my favourite things about being with Josh is how easy going he is. He never gets upset about anything, and always manages to calm me down (I am definitely the stress cadet of our relationship). He is very calm and measured and is a real grounding influence in my life. We are almost totally opposite in personality but Josh never Judges me or makes me feel like my way of doing things is wrong, even though it isn’t necessarily the way he would choose. He accepts me totally as I am and makes me feel that even if I stayed exactly as i am today and never changed that would be perfect.
What was your favourite part of the wedding day? I have so many! One of my favourite parts was arriving at the Pigeon Bay house and seeing all my family and friends who had been there since 7am decorating and pulling everything together, all of us getting ready together. It was absolutely chaotic, kids everywhere, people were arriving and coming down to say hi, and then hanging out in the bedroom we were getting ready in, lounging on the bed and catching up, while various family members wandered through wearing only towels saying “have you seen my….” I arrived at the same time as one of my friend oldest friends and she said as we were both getting out of our cars “Hey look at this!” and opened the boot of her car to reveal a mattress that she had set up for her and husband to sleep on that night, which made me so happy. I didn’t really want to do a walk down the isle, but my Dad insisted and that was a lovely moment. After the ceremony we had a What do we do now? moment and unwittingly set up a line of hugs where everyone lined up and hugged us, that was really lovely. I think one of my favourite moments was when we got the pictures about a week afterwards, I had asked Tim our photographer to get as many candid pictures of everyone as possible, so he went over before the ceremony and got heaps of pictures of my family setting up. When I saw those pictures I was completely overwhelmed with how much love went into that day. There is a picture of my brother doing my daughters hair (which looked crazy all day) that I just love. It just gave the day so much more meaning. I didn’t anticipate how the day would be equal parts celebrating the love Josh and I have for each other, and the love our family and friends have for us, and seeing all the pictures of the parts I wasn’t able to participate in really highlighted that.
Describe your wedding theme/style. I wanted it to be an intimate gathering of friends and family, and I really wanted it to be in a home rather than a “Venue” so it would feel more like a family meal that ends up lasting all night because everyone is enjoying the company and the conversation so much. I found a beautiful home in Pigeon Bay (about 2 hours out of my hometown, Christchurch) we rented it for a couple of days before and after the wedding. We tried not to have any styling overwhelm the beauty of the landscape, just keeping things simple and focusing on the beautiful view and the people attending. I knew there were going to be tons of kids there, and we wanted everyone to be able to relax and have fun, including the kids, so we organised some teens we know to come over and make sure none of them ran off the cliff, feed all the kids and help out. We had some lawn games and the most delicious meal, then of course dancing late into the night. It worked out perfectly, a bunch of people ended up staying the night at the house and a couple of other houses we rented nearby. The next day my brothers came over and set up a crumpet bar, everyone helped clean up and then we went swimming off the jetty across the bay. For Josh and I, it was truly the best day of our lives.
What is marriage to you? Marriage for us is something greater than the both of us that we have committed to. We have been together for 10 years so we definitely have days where we are struggling with each other, its nice to know that when we are frustrated with each other we are both committed to this thing that is greater than both of us, our marriage. It seems to carry us through disagreements more quickly and easily. I don’t feel any need to resolve everything right away, and make everything perfect because it feels like we have a lifetime to figure things out and that relieves a lot of stress and pressure. Our daughter Marigold was almost three when we got married and she thinks that we are all married to each other, which I love. For her, I am married to Josh and her, Josh is married to her and me, and she is married to both of us, and I think she might be right.
